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jlsjourneys's review against another edition
5.0
Not for the weak of heart. Though the whole imaginary railroad becomes real trope felt overplayed on the cover and underplayed in the book itself, I was absolutely chilled by this story. Couldn’t put it down.
ted_funsten's review against another edition
4.0
A bleak story, with visions of pain and cruelty made it hard to read for much of the first two thirds of the book. But the story and characters take off in the last third.
jesstele's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
anais_knight's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.25
gardenxroseee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jrmarr's review against another edition
3.0
Generally well-written, but a bit uneven in parts, this was an interesting take on the tale of the Underground Railroad, but I’m not sure I buy the idea of it being a literal railroad. It kind of took away from the story for me. Glad I read it, but not sure I’ll remember much about it.
berlylovestoread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Sudden ending. This is the most realistic story I have read about the underground railroad.
nichughes's review against another edition
5.0
I wonder if listening to this vs. reading had me more enthralled with Cora than some of the other reviewers. I thought she was a vibrant and dynamic character with a difficult, tragic journey. The details of terror throughout - the plantation she was from, Ridgeway, the square in the North Carolina section... there were times when I literally gasped or felt scared. It was a roller coaster of a book and a tough, thought-provoking read. Colson Whitehead is an exceptional storyteller and the idea of a literal railroad woven in was a fascinating detail. I loved the suspense, the layers, the prose. A work of literary genius. This is one of those books that sticks with you through the years.
“If you want to see what this nation is all about, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America. It was a joke, then, from the start. There was only darkness outside the windows on her journeys, and only ever would be darkness.”
"... Here was the true Great Spirit, the divine thread connecting all human endeavor--if you can keep it, it is yours. Your property, slave or continent. The American imperative.”
“If you want to see what this nation is all about, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America. It was a joke, then, from the start. There was only darkness outside the windows on her journeys, and only ever would be darkness.”
"... Here was the true Great Spirit, the divine thread connecting all human endeavor--if you can keep it, it is yours. Your property, slave or continent. The American imperative.”
angorarabbit's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
TLDR: Sometimes a book is so good writing a review is pointless.
Context: Going into this book I knew that it dealt with slavery in the American south. I have read some histories regarding southern chattel slavery and American abolitionist theories. I also had the idea that the underground railroad in this book delivered people to some sort of dark amusement parks. The dark was correct, the amusement park was not. People were delivered to actual or proposed alternatives to slavery.
Mr Whitehead guided me through the horrors of chattel slavery without breaking me. He then details possible outcomes for solutions that some Americans had posed for the “slave problem”. By the time I reached Indiana I was grasping for a life line, so deep had my dread and my investment in Cora’s future become. The author delivered one just in the nick of time.
I don’t think I was so close to heartbreak reading a book since Beloved.
During Cora’s journey she learns of the displacement and genocide of indigenous peoples by the European coloniser’s greed for land. We forget all to often in the Americas that all land is stolen land and the oldest and most prized buildings were built by the blood sweat and tears of stolen people.
I wish every American (not just USains) would read this book. Then think before they speak about the “black problem”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Abandonment, Confinement, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Violence, Genocide, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cursing
Forced sterilisation, eugenics, blackface performances, n word, medical experiments without consent. Body snatching, lynching